ruminations on life at fifty … or so …

padi fields

Padi fields and Mt Agung, Bali, Indonesia

I only have to look at a photo like this of Bali and a sense of peacefulness descends. Maybe I should blow one up and hang it on a wall at home? In Bali you can’t help but imbibe the more peaceful and spiritual aspects of the culture. When I say Bali, I refer to the traditional areas away from the commercial and tourist hub of Kuta and surrounds. But even there you still get glimpses into the real Bali.

Yet, how you perceive the photo is so much dependent on your state of mind. If I was to think about the rice planting and harvest, and the back breaking hours and days in those paddy fields, my empathy gets the better of me and my mood changes.